Stupid Crush
by norasarc
Summary: Nora wasn't the best at expressing her feelings. Jaune wasn't the best at catching onto feelings. So when Nora falls for Jaune, things get a bit complicated.


_**Rated T simply because it's more geared towards that audience.**_

* * *

Seriously, Nora Valkyrie?

Of all the dimwitted, clueless, absent minded people to fall head over heels for, you choose _Jaune Arc?_ Sir "I'll just stay single forever because relationships seem so intimidating"? Why him? Why not Ren, he's been my best friend for forever. I'd probably have a slight chance with him. Or Ruby? She's single! She's adorable! She likes you enough, it'd work. But noooo, I choose him.

I snuck another glance at him from across the lunch table, annoyingly captivated by that stupid grin he has when he over exaggerates one of his many "I fought a grimm and kicked its butt" tales. My heart did the thing again, too. It was beating a hundred miles a minute and my face felt like it was on fire. And did he notice? Nope. He never did. He hasn't all year. It was infuriating.

I took an angry bite of my stack of pancakes, trying my best to drown out his stupid voice that I really loved listening to. It didn't seem to work, though. It never really did. If anything, it made me notice how nice it was even more. Sure, his voice would squeak every so often when he talked, but I really liked hearing it.

I rested my chin in my hand as I continued to eat, pretending to listen to his story as I looked at him. There it was again. His goofy grin that stole my heart every single time I saw it. His hands moved extravagantly as he told his tale, knocking into cups and people, and sometimes knocking both down in the process. You'd think after knowing him for so long I'd get used to him, but I haven't.

"Um, Nora?" I heard his voice change tones, jumping a bit as I pulled myself out of my thoughts. I blinked, looking around the table. Almost everyone was gone – heading towards the exit. Jaune and I sat at the table alone, though Ren and Pyrrha lingered close. I looked over at him.

"Wha-"

"You've um. . . you've been staring at me for a few minutes. Didn't you hear the bell ring?" He sounded a bit confused. I was a little annoyed that he didn't catch onto the fact I was staring at him because I enjoyed seeing him, but then again, I didn't really give him many reasons to assume that.

"Ha, sorry about that! I was just into your story." I took one last bite of my pancakes, which weren't finished. How unlike me. "Mmph- and shuper into these pancakesh."

Why is acting like a slob my defense against him? How is that going to win him over? Who knows! But it happens every single time!

He laughed, and my heart began beating faster again. His laugh was always so genuine and kind, even if the subject was stupid or dark. "I'll have to learn how to make pancakes so I can make some for you someday."

I know. I know he meant that in a friendly way. I truly do. But the way he said it made me feel like he meant it in a romantic way, and that would've made my day absolutely amazing. I just grinned.

"Oh, please. No one makes 'em better than Ren!" I guess that wasn't a lie. I stood up, dropping my plate onto the disposal tray. "You ready for class then, dummy?"

"I guess so. Think I can copy off your answers?"

"You know what Pyrrha told us last time, bud."

". . . Yeah, alright."

* * *

"That's it!"

Jaune's exhausted yell broke the silence of our dorm room that he and I were in, both studying after being lectured by Pyrrha and Ren.

"What?" I glanced over at him, sipping from a juice box he had thrown at me when he entered the room. I also managed to snag his sweatshirt when he went to go take a shower, so _double score._ It was always so warm and cozy.

He leaned back in his chair, banging his head against it. "I'm gonna leave Beacon. Yep. I'm moving far, far away from here. I'll just start a farm. Maybe open a store. 'Jaune's Stuff'. Yeah, that'll work."

I rolled my eyes, throwing my straw wrapper at him. "Jaune, please. You don't have the upper body strength to work on a farm." I wish I was wrong, but I wasn't. I could see most of his arms now that his sweater was off. You know how in the shows, when the guy takes his jacket off all the girls swoon at his arms because it's such a rare, attractive sight? Yeah, not Jaune. He kind of had bony arms that were way too long for his body. But ugh, that itself was a neat little thing that I liked.

"I can be like, the guy who feeds the animals or something."

"That would require upper arm strength. Lots of upper arm strength." I pointed out, and he groaned again. I just rolled my eyes. I knew he wasn't serious about leaving. He did this every single time we had homework. Yesterday he wanted to open a tattoo shop called Jaune Art.

"I don't remember Professor Port even talking about this. When did we go over this?" He looked at me, a desperate look shining in those blue eyes. I glanced away, knowing I'd start blushing again if I didn't.

"Uh, this morning. Weren't you paying attention?"

"Was it before lunch?"

"Yeah."

He shifted in his chair to face me. "See, Nora, I have trouble focusing on anything before lunch. Or after." He tapped his pencil against his desk to some rhythm I didn't recognize.

"So when can you focus?" I rose an eyebrow, leaning back against my own chair. I tilted it back a bit and balanced it, a hobby that could keep be busy for hours. Or could break my foot again.

He looked away, his face red. I rose both of my eyebrows, dropping the chair with a loud thud against the wooden floor. Was he the embarrassed one this time? Aw, even his ears got a little red. So lamely adorable.

"What? Is there some secret technique I don't know about?" I scooted my chair closer to him, nosily prying into his personal space. We tend to do that a lot. He stammered.

"W-what? No way! Lame! I never focus, you know me!" He offered a pathetic grin and an even more pathetic thumbs up. I swatted his hand away.

"Aw, come on, Jaune!" I shook his arm a little, digging my nails into it. He sighed in defeat, throwing himself back against the chair. He fumbled through his pockets for a minute before pulling out his scroll, which had a playlist open.

"What, music? Way to build that up for nothin', Jaune. Most people listen to music while they work." I felt a little disappointed that it wasn't something unique that I could share with him as a secret. Sure, I probably knew more secrets of his than most did, but most of that was peering through his diary when he wasn't looking.

"It's not just music. I- I like to turn it on and kind of dance to it a little. Or at least movements. That's why I was tapping a bunch. I repeat the tapping during the rest and it kind of triggers the answer. I mean, it doesn't always work, but. . ."

I stared at him. I hadn't seen him dance since the dance a few years back, but even then it was mostly with Pyrrha and not by himself. I didn't know that the annoying tapping sounds he did during the silent tests were helpful to him. I just thought he was getting impatient with himself. How do I use this to my advantage?

"Look, I know it sounds dumb, but-"

"No, it's cool! Hm. . ." I gathered up every ounce of courage I had and stood up, holding out my hand for him. "If you're really having trouble with it, I'll help."

"How? I told you, I'll just have to tap-"

"Let's dance."

He stopped talking and stared up at me. I mean, he didn't really have to stare up, I wasn't much taller than he was sitting down, but he still stared at me. I just smiled, leaving my hand outstretched towards him until he decided to drop his ego and allow someone else to help him.

"Is- is this like, a prank? Are Ruby and Yang outside recording this?" He glanced out the window, and I rolled my eyes in response, flicking his forehead.

"No, dummy. I just thought it'd be fun to try and memorize things this way." I thrusted my hand towards him again. "Come on, I'll give each move a name that's easy so that way you can think of it during tomorrow's test."

He slowly took my hand, eyeing my suspiciously. I liked holding his hand. It was bigger than mine, but it didn't feel weird. He also had way softer hands than mine. That's probably because he had the biggest lotion collection in Beacon history. He claims his sisters send them all, but I've seen him hide the receipts in his pockets.

I pulled him out of his chair with both my hands, struggling to not slip on the wood in my socks. When he stood, he was way taller than me. Like, I barely reached his chest. But I still took the opportunity to at least pretend we were bonding.

"Okay, obviously I can't wrap my arms around your neck. You're like, a giant."

He snickered. "Nora, please. We both know you're short."

"Then you're freakishly tall and I'm adorably short." I chirped, placing his hand on my hip and holding his other one with mine. I put my other hand on his arm.

"Uh- are you sure you're okay with me holding you like this?" He seemed incredibly flustered and nervous. I wanted to kick him, but affectionately. If only he knew.

"It doesn't bother me," I smiled up at him, taking advantage of the courage I managed to gather and hold onto, even if it was shrinking by the second. "Does it bother you?"

He paused, but after a moment, shook his head. "No, not really."

I found myself feeling a bit flustered and nervous at his reply, so I guess we switched roles. I just offered a weak smile. "Well, that's good. It'll make this a lot easier." I quickly let go of his hand to start the song that was up on his scroll.

He frantically released me and stumbled towards his scroll, which I clinged to tightly enough to keep from him. "N-nononono not that one-"

Aha. Score number three. A love song.

"Why not? I like this one. It's easy to dance to, and there are enough breaks for us to label each part as a section of the test. When you think of the first song, you can think of the answers I'll tell you for the first part of the test."

". . . I guess it'll work." He sighed, putting his hand back on my hip and grabbing my hand with his other one. I glanced over at the textbook on my desk.

"Alright, ready?"

He nodded, avoiding eye contact with me as if this physical contact was embarrassing. I gave him a reassuring smile. "You're fine, Jaune."

The music started playing a soft piano tune, and we slowly started swaying to the beat. We were both pretty decent dancers, but we started off incredibly simple.

"Okay, first question. The first war scythe was used during the Deluge. When did this take place?"

He blinked. "Like- the specific date?"

"No, the century. It's pretty easy. How old were we when we met?"

"Seventeen. . .?"

"Yeah. So the _blank_ century."

"Seventeenth century?"

"Yep." I grinned, increasing our speed a little bit. Our feet moved together easily, as if we've practiced this dance all our lives. We continued like this; I'd ask him questions and offer hints only when necessary, which wasn't too often. Every time he got it right, he'd happily increase the speed of our dancing and change it up a little. He'd twirl me around every so often too, which I liked a lot. He relaxed with each answer he got right, and unless I'm just way too hopeful, I might even assume he's enjoying this. Silly me, getting my hopes up. Just enjoy this moment while you can, Nora.

* * *

"Whoa, are we already at the last question?" He twirled me around again, laughing a bit as we danced around the room. I felt a twinge of sadness and disappointment at his words. I guess we were just about done.

"Heh, I guess so. It's just the same question as the first one, just worded a bit differently. In what situation was the first scythe used in battle?" I read it aloud, wishing I could stall the moment without looking too suspicious. Unfortunately, that's not how it works.

"Uh, the. . . De..luge?" He struggled with the last word, but I felt a wave of pride at his answers. I nodded enthusiastically, and he grinned the biggest, lamest grin ever.

He grabbed my waist and spun my around, my feet slightly off the ground. I felt my heart race again at his sudden actions, but felt utterly happy and thrilled that he did it. Then he dipped me, and I was pretty sure he could hear my heart at that point. His face was only inches from mine, and our eyes were staring into each others. I couldn't read his expression at all, but I'm sure he could read mine fairly easily.

I could feel his breath against me, and I was breathing a bit heavily in shock. "Hi." I whispered so quietly that if he weren't this close there's no way he would've heard it. He blinked, as if I knocked him out of some deep trance. His face looked intensely red.

"Uh, thanks for the help," he quickly lifted me back to my feet, and the song just happened to end at the same time. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment and my eyes stung with tears just begging to be released. Did he feel anything just then? He just so quickly let me go. Like the situation was uncomfortable.

"Ugh, why? Why do you have to be like that? I'm so _sick_ of you being so endearing and then just brushing me off like some little sister or something!" I felt my stomach twist into a sick knot as the words slipped from my mouth. I took a step back, and saw his red expression change into a shocked one.

He stared down at me, looking completely surprised to hear this sudden outburst, which only made the situation more infuriating. ". . .I-"

I pushed past him, wiping the stupid tears that fell down my burning cheeks. I threw his scroll across the room as the song started playing again, ignoring any protests I heard from him and brushing off any attempt to grab my arm or shoulder.

"Nora, wait-"

I didn't reply. I didn't look back at him. I just let out a quiet sob and slammed the door shut behind me.

* * *

I've been expertly avoiding Jaune for the past week now. I've been sleeping in team RWBY's room after explaining the situation to Ruby, who was really cool about it. She agreed to sleep in my dorm until I calmed down, but she couldn't do more than that since she was the leader. I ate all my meals either alone, with Pyrrha, with Ren, or with team RWBY. I've skipped a few classes. Sat at the other end of the classroom.

I haven't spoken to him, looked at him, or been alone with him since that day. I absolutely refuse. Am I over him? Not at all. I miss him a lot. But what happened really, really hurt. And it's hard to be around him. It's hard to think about him, and it's also hard not to do that. Basically everything is really difficult right now.

Classes were finally finished for the day, and I snuck off to the rooftop to get a change of scenery for once. The fresh air was nice, but it didn't feel right. Everything felt so heavy and empty. It has since that annoying day that I wish never happened.

Well, maybe that's not true. Dancing with him was really nice. And really, really fun. And having him hold me in a way he would never ever have before was amazing. It was a great day, aside from the end of it. Ugh, the end. Why? Was I like. . . not likeable? I mean, Ren's known me for years and he's made it very clear I'm not his type. Not in a rude way, but a very clear way. Oh great. Does everyone see me like a sister?

I sighed, kicking my feet over the edge of the building as I stared at the school grounds. It was quiet now that everyone could return to their dorms, save for a few couples walking down the entrance and towards the busy city, probably going out on some date. I felt a pang of jealousy towards these strangers, even if they weren't really doing anything. I just wish I had that.

The sound of footsteps caught my attention. I heard the sound of a person walking up the stairs to the rooftop, and even though it was muffled, I already knew who it was. I bit my lip anxiously, aware that I had nowhere to run to this time. I glanced down at the edge of the building before quickly rolling my eyes. _No, Nora, you probably can't survive a jump that high. Don't risk your life for this. No, it is_ _ **not**_ _worth it._

"I heard I might find you up here."

His voice. I felt tears gather in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away, knowing that any emotion I show would determine how this conversation went and who held most power over it. I didn't reply. I just stared at the sky as if it were actually interesting or distracting.

"I. . . um. . . I passed the test." I could hear the sound of paper being waved a bit. "All thanks to you, obviously."

I still said nothing. I was still embarrassed. Disappointed. What did I do wrong? I know I insult him a lot, but I'm also always there. Even more than Pyrrha, and that's saying something. I wanted to talk to him and get over my stupid feelings, but it was still really difficult. I just him to feel something. Anything. Not uncomfortable.

"Nora, please talk to me. You've been avoiding me all week. I've been looking everywhere for you since you ran off, but no one will say anything. I- I don't even see you in classes anymore." His voice sounded desperate and tired, and rose a bit in frustration. I curled my fist, my nails digging roughly into my palm. I still didn't want to say anything.

"Okay, fine. I can't make you talk. I'll just g-"

I took a small breath. I didn't want to waste this chance to let my emotions out. If he really did leave, I don't think we'd have another conversation for a long time.

"What did I do wrong, Jaune?"

"What?"

I turned to look at him, the fact he wasn't wearing his hoodie mildly surprising me. I was too caught up in the moment to actually think about it other than surprising. I saw an expression of confusion on the face that I missed oh so much. I felt the tears coming already.

"Why didn't- ugh, that moment. Why didn't you feel anything? Why am I still just the little sister of the group? I'm so sick of cooing over you when all I get in return is the same smile Ruby gets and-"

" _I never even said I see you as a little sister._ "

I blinked, my words trailing off as he interrupted me. His voice was quiet, but he sounded a bit defensive and hasty, like he's been waiting for me to shut up so he could say that. I slowly uncurled my fist, staring at him blankly.

"Jaune, you looked beyond uncomfortable and miserable when it happened."

"I didn't _feel_ uncomfortable. I didn't feel miserable. In fact, the only thing that made me feel that way was you ignoring me for so long after it happened. I don't even know what I did- I was lost when it happened and you said something and I panicked."

I continued to just stare at him, at a complete loss for words. I wanted to believe that he was just saying that so I didn't feel stupid, but I could hear the sincerity in his voice that I learned to decipher fairly quickly. He looked away from me, staring at the ground to his side.

"I. . . I didn't mean to make you think that. I don't want you to hate me. I'll apologize as many times as you want or do anything you want. Just _please_ talk to me again. I miss you so much." His voice broke as he finished speaking, and I felt the tears I had been holding back flood out. I wasn't planning to cry on top of the rooftop at four pm, but I guess things don't work out the way I expect. I just nodded weakly, even though I knew it wouldn't be enough of an answer.

"You're so dumb." I whispered, wiping my tears away shakily. I heard his footsteps again, this time a lot quicker. He knelt down besides me, hesitantly holding his hand near my eye. I just closed them, giving him permission to softly wipe my tears away. I felt stupid for ignoring him for so long. I regretted it a lot. I missed him.

He sat down beside me, still wiping the tears that escaped, though they were slowing down. "Heh, here I am, making you cry again. This time I'm just trying to help. I'm not the best at this, I guess."

I shook my head, sniffling a bit as a small smile crawled onto my lips for the first time in a week. "Oh yeah, you suck at this." I sniffled again, staring down at my hands. "But I guess I'm no better."

"It's not your fault. I screwed it up. I've been beating myself up for it since it happened." He sighed, his hands dropping to his sides as my tears gradually stopped. I glanced over at them, slowly sliding my own hand towards his. I didn't know if I was supposed to. If that's what he actually wanted, or if he just didn't see me as a sister and that's it.

"I didn't help. I just assumed things." I mumbled, inching my fingers closer to his. I jumped when he threw his hands up a bit in frustration before slowly putting my hand back on my lap.

"That whole day just wasted because I got lost in your eyes. I lose like, a hundred suave points for that." He rubbed temples, seemingly unaware of what he just admitted.

He. . . _got lost in my eyes?_ I found it incredibly hard to believe that the person who had the eyes I treasured more than anything could see anything worth staring at in my own. I stared at him wordlessly again. I felt a bit bad for him now. I keep just wordlessly staring at him, my eyes wide and mouth slightly agape like some dork.

We just sat in silence, me staring at him while he kept his eyes locked on someone on the ground, making sure to avoid my stares, not that I blamed him. I felt horrible for the past week, but I didn't necessarily think I was a bad person for it. I regretted it a lot, but I still understood what my head was going through. I hope he does too.

"I didn't hate you." I said after a bit, glancing away from him as he looked over at me, surprised by the sudden noise. I shook my head at the thought, scoffing under my breath. "I definitely didn't hate you. I was driving myself _insane_ by ignoring you."

"Then. . . why'd you do it?" He asked slowly, as though he was scared he'd stop on a landmine and mess the whole thing up again. I snickered, looking up at the passing clouds in frustration. Not necessarily at him. Just at the question. Because I didn't have a fair answer to that.

"Because I wanted to hate you," I replied, not looking at him. I could feel his eyes on me, but I was too focused on my thoughts to look back. "I really, _really_ wanted to hate you, Jaune. You'd think it'd be easy, what with your personality." I joked half-heartedly, but my smile quickly faded.

"I didn't want to feel like I did anymore. I guess I assumed getting you out of my life would make it fade away, but I think it made it a lot more intense. Because wow, I really, really missed you." I finally glanced over at him, and he finally looked wordless instead of it being the other way around. I placed my hand next to his, grinning a bit at him.

"I know, it's weird, right? I can't believe I missed that dorky face." I expected a lame retort in response, but instead his hand slipped into mine. I felt a chill run up my spine at the soft touch, taken aback by the sudden contact. I couldn't read his expression yet again, which was annoying during moments like these. Before I could even blink, his hand was on my cheek and his lips were barely an inch from mine. He waited for only a second to see if I would pull away - which was a definite no - and filled the space.

I kinda froze for a second, and so did he. The contact itself was kind of unexplainable. But finally, he softly kissed me for what felt like hours, though it was only a few seconds. I closed my eyes instinctively, lacing our fingers together as our lips softly touched, even if it was barely. I kept my eyes closed when he slowly pulled away, my forehead weakly resting on his. I squeezed his hand, another tear sliding down my cheek. This time, it felt a lot happier.

"Wow, I made you cry _again_ just by kissing you." He laughed slightly as he brushed his thumb against the tear tenderly. I snickered, leaning into his hand. My head was spinning, my heart was racing, and I felt a little numb all together - all this happened so quickly, but I don't think I would've planned it any differently. I blinked the tears away, opening my eyes to look at him.

"This better not happen every time I kiss you, Nora, because that'd be horrible for my image." He grinned at me, and I felt myself hold my breath in excitement. _Every time I kiss you. Every. Time. I. Kiss. You._

"Does that mean. . . you like. . . want to be with me?" I asked meekly, the words felt strange to say. I'd never had anyone who wanted to be with my like that. Especially not someone I liked so much. It felt exciting and new and I wanted to ask it again and again, but that'd probably be really weird.

He looked a little nervous for a second. "I mean, if I could- I don't know if I ruined things too much but you _seemed_ to like the kiss and I know I did and I like you and I-"

I sat up a bit straighter to reach him, kissing his cheek softly. "You're so lame sometimes. Of course I liked it. And you. _And_ the thought of being with you."

I leaned against him, creasing my eyebrows as I remembered something from earlier. "Hey, what happened to your hoodie?" I asked, looking up at him. His cheeks and ears turned red as he mumbled an inaudible response. I rose an eyebrow.

"I- ah, well. . . When you threw it back in the room the first night we weren't talking, it still smelt like you, and I was worried the smell would die down if I wore it again."

How does the dorkiest, lamest guy in the whole school manage to make me speechless so often? I have no idea. I guess I'm weaker than I thought. "It smells like me, huh? What would that smell be? Desperation? Anger?"

"Strawberries." He said softly, his thumb gently brushing against the back of my hand. I suddenly felt like, ten times more confident after hearing that. I didn't think anyone really noticed that I used strawberry shampoo. No one ever said anything before this. I smiled to myself.

"I want it back later."

"What back?"

"My hoodie."

He groaned, making me laugh a bit. "Is this how it's gonna be? Have I lost my favorite hoodie of all time?"

"I think you mean _my hoodie._ "

"Nora, I bought that with my own money."

" _Fine._ I'll compromise. It can be our hoodie."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **This might seem like another desperate RWBY crackship... but just consider..**


End file.
